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Mr. Myers smoothed his shirt and settled down on the leather sofa.“I haven’t discussed this with my wife, but I know she was having an affair. I don’t know who with, and frankly I don’t care.” He glanced through the window, which looked out onto the street. We could see two kids playing on their bikes, their mother now watching over them with a keen eyeand chatting with one of the neighbors by the looks of it. “My wife and I have been married for fifteen years, and don’t get me wrong, we love each other very much. It’s just that, from time to time Melanie feels the need to… bust loose, shall we say? To feel young again, with no responsibilities, no mortgage and no kids to take care of. And you know what? I let her. I know it doesn’t mean anything. I know it’s just a way for her to blow off some steam before she comes home to me and the boys again. And she always does.”

“That’s very…”

“Yeah, I know it’s a little weird, maybe, but that’s just the way it is. From the moment we started dating we decided to give each other space.”

“And do you enjoy the same, um… privileges?”

“I do, as a matter of fact,” said Mr. Myers with a curt laugh, “but I don’t use them. I’ve never cheated on my wife, Miss Poole, and I don’t think I ever will. And in all the years we’ve been together I can count on the fingers of a single hand the number of times Melanie’s been unfaithful to me.” He shrugged. “So I try not to let it bother me too much.”

“So when Joshua tried to keep this a secret from you—”

“He shouldn’t have bothered, because I already knew. Joshua is a good friend, but I think I know my wife better than he does. I trust her, and apparently Joshua doesn’t, if he feels the need to ask you to follow her around.” He seemed a little annoyed by the initiative of his best friend, Ithought.

“Do you think Joshua is capable of murder?”

“Joshua? A murderer? Absolutely not. He couldn’t kill a fly.”

“He seems to have feelings for Melanie,” said Odelia.

“Oh, yeah, I know he does. He loves her to bits. They briefly dated in college, you know. It didn’t mean anything.”

“It may not have meant anything to your wife, but apparently it meant a lot for your fiend, Mr. Myers,” Odelia pointed out. “And now the police seem to think it was the reason he killed three people last night.”

“Three people?”

“According to the police his intended target would have been Franklin Harrison.”

“Name seems to ring a bell,” said Mr. Myers, nodding.

“Franklin Harrison was the man your wife was having an affair with.”

He blinked.“Okay.”

“So now the police think that Joshua wanted to get rid of him once and for all.”

Mr. Myers scooted forward and fixed Odelia with a serious look.“Do you believe he’s guilty, Miss Poole?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure.”

“Well, I am. Joshua didn’t do it. No way in hell is that man capable of murdering three people in cold blood.”

“Even if he thought he was doing it to save his best friend’s marriage?”

Mr. Myers sat back again, and shook his head.“It all seems a little extreme.”

“Just a routine question, if I may, but where were you last night, Mr. Myers? Around midnight, let’s say?”

He produced a weak smile.“Are you accusing me of going after my wife’s lover now?”

“Not at all. Just dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s.”

“Well, I was here all night, and so was my wife, by the way. We watched a movie and then went to bed. By the time I turned off the lights it was after midnight.”

“Can anyone confirm that?”

He glanced out at his two boys.“I can vouch for my wife, and she can vouch for me. Isn’t that enough?”

Chapter 19

Vesta still felt a little guilty about the role she’d played in the capture of Joshua Curtis, her granddaughter’s client.

“It just isn’t right, Scarlett,” she told her friend as the twosome rode in her daughter’s little red Peugeot Vesta liked to use. “If Odelia represents this guy that means he’s innocent. I know my granddaughter. She would never defend a killer. And if only I’d known he was her client,I’d never have told my son about him. No way.”

“You would have let that building burn to the ground?” asked Scarlett, who clearly wasn’t fully on board with this mission yet.

“Oh, I would have called 911 for sure,” said Vesta, “but I wouldn’t have mentioned seeing Joshua.”

They were on their way to Joshua’s house right now, since Vesta felt they’d gotten the guy into the soup, and now it was up to them to get him out again.

“Look, I don’t feel good about this, Vesta,” said Scarlett, “I’ll be honest with you. If we get caught…”

“If we get caught I’ll just tell those cops that we’re working under Odelia’s instructions.”

“But we’re not!”

“Technically, maybe, but in the spirit of the thing we’re fighting on her side.”

“What side? The guy is obviously guilty. You saw him come out of that building.”

“Just because the man came out of the building doesn’t mean he’s a killer,” Vesta insisted. “He could have just been there to, well…”